Bad Moon Rising
by suze-the-practical-ghost
Summary: AU.Amon started the Equalist Revolution and took Republic City when there was no Avatar to stop him, and declared all bending illegal. Senna&Tonraq brought their daughter to the city when they realized she was the Avatar. Benders in the city disappear, so Korra has to keep her identity a secret even from her best friends. But she can't keep watching the world fall out of balance...
1. Chapter 1

_For as long the spiritual and physical have existed alongside each other, so has the Avatar — the link between these worlds and an instrument of keeping peace and balance. The Avatar is born human so that they understand the people they protect, and, subsequently, their time in the world is limited. Avatar Aang managed to elude death, as he was frozen in an ice-burg for over a hundred years; but even though he lived long enough to accomplish great things and fulfill his Avatar duties, eventually he too passed on. _

_While the world mourned his passing, his legacy still lived on. _

_He left behind his wife, Katara, and three children who in turn had children of their own. And in the frozen reaches of the South Pole, his legacy dwelled within a small girl born with bright blue eyes and fiery heart. The world eagerly awaited their next Avatar to make his or her identity known; however, the world had to make do on its own while it waited._

_One man seized this time to strike at the very heart of the deceased Avatar's legacy— Republic City._

* * *

When Senna and Tonraq were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, it was the happiest day of their lives. Senna's pregnancy had been rough, so they knew from the start their daughter would be an energetic child; but Korra was so much more than that.

In her first few years of life, it became obvious that Korra had a radiant personality. She was walking at ten months, and running away at twelve months. When Korra was a year and half, there was an incident where Korra went missing, and Senna and Tonraq had searched half the plains surrounding the village before returning to round up a search party, only to find Korra curled up in their own hut. The two were horrified at the possibility of this becoming a habit, but finally Senna sighed and said, "I suppose we can take comfort in the fact that she'll always come home after scaring us half to death."

But Senna and Tonraq learned to deal with those quirks among the others. Despite her rowdiness and untamable spirit, Korra loved her parents, and they knew from the beginning that she was a bright girl. And while she gave them multiple sleepless nights and hours of worry with her childhood antics, the real surprises came later.

They discovered she was a waterbender at three years old, and they couldn't have been prouder.

When she was four, Korra almost burnt the house down after setting the rug on fire.

For a while, her parents were very uneasy and tried to find some logical explanation for the incident—a trick of the eyes, she's _always_ destroying the house, she did _not_ just firebend— but a couple months later when she stomped around and started uprooting the stone floors, yelling, "_Earthquake!_" it became clear that their daughter was more than just special. Simply thinking the word _Avatar_ was disorienting.

One night, as Senna and Tonraq watched over their sleeping six-year-old, they contemplated how to move forward. For the past year, they had taken the initiative to start formally training Korra in waterbending, in both healing and fighting forms. She had taken to her lessons immediately and proved to be a very receptive student— not to mention enthusiastic.

"We can't do this by ourselves," Tonraq gravely whispered to his wife.

Senna sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her sleeping daughter's face. Korra squirmed in her sleep before relaxing again. "She's so young. She doesn't need this burden yet," Senna whispered sadly. "Who would we even contact? Where could we go?"

Tonraq put his arms around his wife. "We have to go to Republic City. The Avatar's— Avatar _Aang's_ family is there. It's the best place to start." He felt his heart grow heavy even as he said the words.

Senna jerked away from him. "_Republic City!_" she hissed. "Leave the only home our daughter has ever known? And go to the city, of all places! There's a revolution brewing in Republic City! An _anti-bending_ revolution! Korra would never be safe there…" Senna shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

Tonraq put a hand on her shoulder, and Senna looked up at him. His voice was gentle, but she saw that his eyes reflected the pain and sorrow she felt. "Korra would understand. She's so strong already, but she needs _guidance_. We both know we have no means to teach her everything she needs to know. As for the city…she may be exactly what the city needs." His voice faltered at the end.

They both looked down at Korra, who was still blissfully asleep and unaware of the burden her tiny shoulders would soon bear.

_From her seat by the fire, Senna called out to Korra, who was putting on her parka to go outside and play after dinner. "Korra, your father and I need to speak to you." Korra turned around and looked up at her mother with big eyes and pouted. _

"_Am I in trouble again?" she whined._

_Senna shook her head with a small smile. "Come sit down, dear," she said as she extended her arms to Korra. The little girl kicked off her boots before climbing onto her mother's lap. Tonraq sat across from them, and Korra looked back and forth between her parents' serious expressions. "Korra, do you remember the stories they sometimes tell around the campfire in the village— the ones about Avatar Aang?"_

_Korra brightened considerably. "The adventure stories! He saved the whole world and flew all around with his friends on Appa. He was a waterbender and a firebender and a earthbender, almost like me! But he could airbend, too. I like hearing Daddy's hunting stories better, though." This made her parents smile. "Why?"_

_Tonraq kneeled so that he was at eye level with Korra. She reached out her hand and rubbed it affectionately against the stubble on his jaw. Tonraq smiled sadly and placed his hand over hers. "Sweetie, do you remember what happens to the Avatars after they die?"_

_Korra nodded seriously. "They get reborn into the next element. That means the watertribe this time," Korra recited dutifully. "Can I go play now?" she asked hopefully._

_Senna sighed. "Korra…" Korra looked up at her mother. "Do you know any of your friends who can bend fire or earth like you?"_

_Korra thought for a moment. "Sura and Kesuk…they can only waterbend, can't they? Why…why am I different?" Korra's voice rose with fear. "Daddy?" She looked at the sad look on his face and tears started pooling in her eyes. "What's happening? Why did you ask me about Aang? Why is Mama sad?" she cried, tears starting to run down her cheeks. _

"_Shhh…" Senna cooed, wiping them from Korra's cheeks. "We're not sad; we just don't want you to be afraid." _

_Korra sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm not afraid of _anything_," she grumbled. "But I still don't understand."_

_Senna stroked Korra's hair and Tonraq took his daughter's hands in his. "There is only one person in the world who can be a waterbender and a firebender and an earthbender all at once," he said gently._

_Korra stopped sniffing and stared at her father. Both of her parents held their breath. "Does that mean…_I'm_ the Avatar?" Her parents nodded, but she still seemed confused. Her eyebrows knit together, like she was thinking very hard about something. "So…does that mean I get to have adventures? And fly around the world?" Her eyes were brightening. "And I get to learn airbending? And I can have a sky bison?" She was grinning now and clapped her hands together. "We can all have adventures! And we can go to North Pole and see the ice palaces! And we can go to—" she kept babbling on, only pausing when she saw her parents' shocked faces. "What?" she asked with a pout._

"_You aren't afraid of leaving home?" Senna asked quietly._

_Korra thought about her mother's question and her shoulders suddenly slumped. "We don't have to leave right _now_, do we?" she asked in a small voice._

_Senna hugged her daughter tightly. "We have to leave soon," she said gently. Korra pouted before yawning and curling into her mother's embrace. "It's time for bed. We can talk about it more tomorrow, Korra." Korra nodded and stared into the fireplace. Despite her great revelation, Korra still slept through the night soundly in her bed._

Six months after making the decision to leave the South Pole, Korra and her parents boarded a ship at the Northern Port of the South Pole. Several family friends had come to see them off and Korra waved to them from bow of the ship, shouting, "Bye! I'll see you again sometime! Don't forget about us!" She was sad to be leaving her friends, but even despite that, she was cheered by the thought of finally having her very own adventures.

As of lately, the waters close to the major United Republic cities had become dangerous with pirates and equalists supporters looking to make trouble, so the boat couldn't take them all the way to Republic City. Instead, they would have to cross the mountains east of the city in order to reach it. The boat ride took a week, and the remainder of the journey lasted another three. The most difficult part of the trip was keeping Korra's elation at her newfound title under control. When they tried to convince her to keep it a secret, she pouted and grumbled that _everyone_ knew who Avatar Aang was. "Fine," her mother compromised, "Not a secret then, a _surprise_." Aside from this, Korra's excitement was only slightly dampened by the length and tedious nature of the trek. Otherwise, she reveled every moment of the journey; whether it was exchanging her water tribe garb for more urban clothes or looking through all the street vendor carts in the marketplaces, Korra took everything in with wide eyes, oblivious to her parent's growing dread.

At some of their various stops, Senna and Tonraq would listen to the radio broadcasts from Republic City. The reports were disturbing to hear, describing the vandalism to the City's bending arena as well as protests that were becoming more and more frequent. There was a movement rising under a mysterious masked leader, and he was doing considerable damage to the city's social stability. The Republic City Council tried to respond to the discontent spreading through the city, but every effort was met with resentment and aggression. There was speculation that the city was becoming a war zone. Even the smaller cities in the United Republic were experiencing protests and violence, and there were stops along the way that refused service to benders of any kind. At one point, there had been a particularly bad storm that caused the inn they were staying at to lose power. Korra had been eager to help, using firebending to help people light candles and providing light in the pitch-dark night. At the sight of the young girl using firebending on his property, the innkeeper flew in to a rage and demanded that Korra and her parents leave immediately. It was the first real incident of anti-bending sentiment that Korra had run in to, although she barely understood what had happened.

Still, Senna and Tonraq saw no other options but to push on and find Avatar Aang's family as soon as possible.

When the three South Pole natives finally took the trolley into the city, all three were dumbfounded at how it was buzzing and thriving like a hive of buzzard-wasps. "Look at all the Satomobiles!" Korra cried with amazement.

"It certainly is different from home, isn't it?" Senna said under her stopped in a few shops and picked up some supplies before heading to the Dragon Flats district. They found a two-bedroom house with a reasonable rent tucked between a rundown noodle joint and a closed up radio shop. Their home was one story and there were only a few pieces of furniture, but hopefully it was only temporary. They dedicated most of their time in the first couple weeks finding jobs, alternating days; one would go out to job hunt, the other would stay with Korra. It took a few weeks, but Tonraq found good work at the docks and Senna got a job as a seamstress and launderer near Central City Station. Korra was even able to do a little work with Senna by delivering some of the laundry in the neighborhood for a small profit.

However, the job search took time, and they had to stretch their resources thin. They were so busy trying to get settled in that they didn't have a chance to reach Avatar Aang's family. When they were finally settled, only weeks after they had arrived, the city became total chaos.

Amon, started by blowing up the statue of Avatar Aang in Yue Bay, and two weeks after that, he attacked City hall with an army of chi-blockers. By the time Korra and her parents had been in the city for two months, Air Temple Island was deserted, and its inhabitants had long fled.

Two and a half months after the Avatar arrived in Republic City, Amon had fully claimed the city under his rule. Bending of any kind was declared illegal, and all known benders were taken into custody and spirited out of the city in chains.

* * *

No matter what compromises and difficult choices Mako had to make in order to survive in such an unforgiving city, he always kept two simple rules: the first was to never forget to be proud of his heritage as a firebender—his mother's last request to him— and the second was to never let anyone _know_ that he was a firebender.

The first one he had promised to keep on that hellish night when his parents died, and second ever since Amon took over the city. It was challenging enough to uphold each rule on its own front, and reconciling them was even harder. After seeing a firebender attack and kill his parents right in front of him, Mako never wanted to even think about firebending again. He was seven when he held his mother's blistered hand, and it was as though she could hear his agonized thoughts. "_My love, you are so strong," she croaked. "You take care of your brother. And remember this: fire is life, too. You must always remember that you have a gift. You—" _She hadn't even been able to finish the thought before closing her eyes for the last time. The police had arrived on the scene some time later, finding Mako clutching his mother's hand as tears streamed silently down his face. When one of the officers put a hand on Mako's trembling shoulder, Mako had snapped and started screaming and lashing out. They managed to calm him down enough to get a home address out of him as well as the fact that he had a little brother.

The officers took both boys to an orphanage in the middle of the night and came back two days later to drop off a few personal effects they managed to save—their father's coat and scarf, as well as their mother's locket. The culprit was never caught and the boys never heard from the police again. Bolin was only five. Every night he would ask Mako the same question: _"When are we going home?"_

They stayed in the orphanage for a couple months before they were turned out onto the streets. Bolin was an easy target for the other kids to pick on, and Mako had gotten in too many fights trying to defend him. Between the two of them, they had one coat and twelve yuans. The first night out on their own, they huddled by a metal dumpster and Mako finally understood his mother's words. For the first time in months, Mako created a small flame in the palm of his hands. The sight of the flame snapping and glowing in his hands made his stomach lurch at the memory of his mother and father's blistered faces, but when Bolin's shivering became visibly less intense, he tried his best to push those thoughts out of his mind.

The two slowly but surely adapted to life on their own. While Mako worked odd jobs in the city, he left Bolin in Central City Station with the other kids during the day. Bolin often made a few yuans himself by batting his big green eyes at passing tourists, so the brothers managed for the most part. But when winter came that year, it hit hard. They both needed new shoes and gloves, so Mako was forced to pawn off his mother's locket. Although he hated himself for doing it, Mako knew that his brother's life came first.

It was then more than ever that Mako kept his mother's words in his mind. Those winter nights were hard and, even with new shoes, Mako's firebending was the only thing that kept them from freezing to death. They squatted in abandoned buildings but never stayed long enough in one place to consider it home. Bolin was never happier than when he figured out that he could use his earthbending to help his big brother. On nights when they were chased away from the back stoop of a restaurant or wherever else they holed up, Bolin was able to make them a lean-to or makeshift earth tent. He was clumsy at first, but he practiced during the days so he could show Mako what he learned at night. Mako had to admit it was reassuring to know that they always had that option— and even more so to know that Bolin had a way of defending himself should anything happen to Mako. It was an unforgiving life, but these two brothers were tough enough to live it.

Things became much more difficult when the city fell to chaos at Amon's hands. Mako was eight and Bolin was six when that happened. The rallies around town had actually been convenient for all the street kids, as they could walk through one of these crowds and pick a dozen pockets without being noticed. Mako wasn't too worried about the masked figure Amon—it wasn't like one crazy guy could take over the _entire city_, right?

But soon, these protests became violent demonstrations, and the streets became even more dangerous at night. Mako could remember when they made a public spectacle of dragging the gang leader Lightning Bolt Zolt onto a stage and electrocuting him until he bit his own tongue off. Mako came home from that gathering with empty pockets and an emptied stomach. From then on, Mako made sure to be careful about where he used his firebending, and he was reluctant to let Bolin use earthbending at all. Some nights they went cold and without shelter.

Mako didn't really have a way of getting news since he didn't read the newspaper or own a radio, but the kids on the streets had a way of finding things out first. The day Amon and the other equalists attacked the city, there wasn't a single kid hanging around Central City Station. Mako knew what that might mean, and he and Bolin found an abandoned warehouse a few blocks away from City Hall to take cover in. They watched from the top floor as the metal-bending police force was taken down by chi-blockers and Air Temple Island burned, and they saw the banner bearing Amon's mask cover the face of City Hall. The boys were too afraid to go out even after the fighting and explosions had died down, but later that night they were awoken by cries coming from the street. They looked out the window and saw dozens and dozens of people being dragged out of their homes and through the streets by masked chi-blockers. There were men, women, and even children being taken to the square in front of City Hall where empty police trucks were lined up. Mako watched with horror as the people were shackled and lined up before the trucks. Mako could hear loud cries of protest, but any physical resistance was met with a shock from the equalists' electric gloves. Eventually, people stopped resisting.

As the trucks were being filled and replaced by empty ones, Bolin tugged on his older brother's sleeve. "Mako, what're they doing? Where're they taking all those people?" Mako turned around and gripped Bolin's shoulders, ignoring his flinch. "Bolin, you can't earthbend anymore."

"But, why n—" Mako kneeled down so that they were eye level and shook him once.

"You can't _ever_ earthbend, d'you hear me? _Ever_," Mako said vehemently, and even though Bolin could see how upset Mako was, he shrunk back from his brother's grip. "_Wh—_" Mako squeezed his arms even tighter.

"They'll take you away, Bolin. That's what they're doing; _they're taking away all the benders_. If they find you, they'll take you away." Mako's voice started to crack. "We have to keep it secret, you and me both. We won't tell anybody, and we won't ever get caught because if we do they'll take us away to spirits knows where! Do you understand, Bolin?"

The terrified look in Mako's eyes brought Bolin to tears. "I won't tell anybody I swear. I won't earthbend! I won't tell! I swear, I swear…" he blubbered over and over again, until Mako pulled him close. Bolin gripped his brother's jacket and cried, "They won't take us away…I don't want you to go like Mom and Dad did!" Mako hugged his brother tightly.

"We're gonna be okay, Bo," Mako whispered, tears pricking at his eyes. "Were gonna survive this, we always have—just you and me. Family sticks together."

The two watched in silence as hundreds of people were taken from the city, and with each truckload that left, Mako strengthened his resolve to protect his brother no matter what happened.

The next day, Mako slunk through the crowds at the rally held by Amon at City Hall. Amon announced to the citizens of Republic City that they would no longer be ruled by a faceless icon, the way "the almighty Avatar and the corrupt council once ruled this city," but rather by a man just like anyone else. After this declaration, Amon took off his mask, and revealed the horrible burn-scar that distorted half his face. The people in the crowd gasped and cried out with horror. "I myself bear the evidence of the evil brought into this world by _benders_. I have been chosen by fate to lead the battle for equality and freedom of all non-benders! We will no longer be manipulated and oppressed by those who would threaten us into submission. We will no longer be afraid of those monsters! Even now, many of those benders who would rise up and try to silence us have been disarmed and expelled from the city. They are criminals, every last one of them; to anyone who is league with these criminals, consider yourself an enemy of the people as well. We will no longer let the tyrannical bending establishment threaten our ways of life, our jobs, and even our families! We will stand together, and we will be the example to the world!"

The cheers this speech received were far louder than the cries of the people torn from their homes the night before.


	2. Chapter 2

Korra grunted as she shifted the heavy bag from one shoulder to the other, waiting for the satomobiles to clear the street. She saw that the sun was dipping low on the horizon and huffed in irritation; she needed to be back by nightfall or she'd have a much greater chance of running into some patrols on the way home. There were several more cars coming, and from what she could see, the streets would only get more backed up. She secured the bag of laundry on her shoulder and took a deep breath before darting into traffic.

Several cars honked at her, but she had become accustomed to doing stunts like this over the past year. The owner of Xang's Tailoring was kind of enough to offer Korra a job as a real delivery runner since her mother had worked there for a few months. Korra no longer ran these errands for small change, but for a full salary so she could help take some of the financial burden off of her parents.

She jogged the familiar path to Madame Kumi's house and dropped the heavy sack against the door while she caught her breath. She slumped forward and her father's newsie hat slid over her brow, obstructing her sight. Autumn had become winter quickly this year and Korra regretted not digging out her gloves this morning. However, her father had insisted she take his hat to keep her ears warm, trying to position it on her head so that it wouldn't blind her. In the end he had just laughed and pointed the brim backwards.

Korra readjusted her hat and knocked on Kumi's door. It swung open to reveal a very large and grumpy looking woman. "I have the shirts for you, Miss Kumi," Korra said pleasantly. Kumi just eyed her and frowned. Korra held out the sack and set to humming and trying to warm her hands while she waited as Kumi went through and inspected each garment. Suddenly, Korra heard an irritated, "Well!"

She looked up at Kumi only to have the empty sack shoved into her face with such force that she fell backwards and tumbled down Kumi's front steps, right into a dirty puddle on the sidewalk. "I've seen smog comin' out of the factories whiter than these!" Kumi shouted, waving one of the linen shirts in her fist. "You can tell Xang not to expect any more business from me!" With a furious "Hmph!" Kumi slammed the door, after throwing two crumpled up yuans into the puddle as well.

Korra felt her blood boil. If this dumb lady had _any_ idea who she was talking to—who she had just _shoved_— she wouldn't be so damn smug. It was times like these that she _hated_ keeping her abilities secret. She was covered in grimy water and her palms were skinned raw, and she couldn't use her waterbending to change either of those things. Korra resigned herself to picking herself up off the ground, stuffing the two yuans and empty sack into her coat pockets, and stomping down the street towards home. She tried to calm herself and remember _why_ she had to be cautious, but it hurt even more to think about how her parents, who were some of the most skilled waterbenders in the South Pole, were pushed around in the same manner. Korra was soaked all the way through and now that the sun had just about set, she could practically feel her clothes turning to ice. If it weren't for Amon and his stupid patrols, she could be perfectly comfortable right now, but _nooo_.

As usual, she felt the familiar urge to forget the stupid rules and introduce her fist to anyone who objected to her doing so. The only thing that kept her from actually doing it was her memory of the night the city was raided.

_"Stop _moving_, Korra," Senna ordered as she tried to pin up the hem of Korra's new coat. Korra sighed but stopped fidgeting as her mother pulled on the bottom of the coat. Eventually she grew bored again and forgot her mother's words. She hummed to herself and swung her arms at her sides, twisting and swaying in place. "I'm going to stick you with a pin if you don't keep still," her mother warned. _

_ "Can't we do this after dinner," Korra whined. Tonraq walked over from the kitchen area and tweaked her nose, saying, "Dinner isn't even ready yet." Korra grumbled, "Alright," and stood with her arms still. Before Senna even finished the bottom hem, they heard sirens and booming in the distance. _

_ Tonraq raced to the window and peeked through the curtains. "Senna, the lights—quickly!" he said as he scooped Korra up and carried her into her bedroom. _

_ "Daddy?" she asked._

_ "Hush, Korra. We must be very quiet," he whispered. Senna came in and the three sat huddled between the side of the bed and the wall. Korra could barely make out their conversation. "It looks like they're combing the blocks…" "Entering peoples' homes!" "There's no one out there to stop them—" "…no way we could leave now…" "…never should have come here.""…they couldn't _possibly_ know…could they?"_

_ "Mama?" Korra whispered._

_ Senna squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm right here, baby."_

_ "Who are hiding from?" she asked, not sounding particularly afraid._

_ Senna shared a look with her husband and sighed. "There are some dangerous people outside, and we don't know who they're looking for," she explained quietly._

_ Korra felt fear start to rise up in her. "More dangerous than Daddy?" Senna saw her lower lip start to quiver and drew her daughter into her arms._

_ "Everything's going to be okay, we just need to wait this night out."_

_ And huddled silently in their darkened house, they waited._

_ When morning came, the streets were eerily quiet. After a quick walk around the block, Tonraq came back inside and went straight to his seven-year-old daughter. "Korra, the people in the masks came into the city last night and they took people away."_

_ Korra shrunk back from her father's stern face. "Took them away? What people? They're not gonna take _us_, right?" Tonraq took her face gently in his hands to make sure she was looking at him._

_ "Korra, a scary thing has happened. I know this is hard for you to understand, but you need to do exactly what we say." Korra nodded slightly. "No more bending." Korra opened her mouth to protest, but her father cut her off. "Korra if these people find out that we're waterbenders, they'll take us all away. But more important than that, they can never find out about _you._" Korra looked up with a questioning look on her face, and Tonraq's voice grew sterner. "Listen to me: it is so important that you never show anyone what you can do. _Anyone_, understand? This is for your own protection. You might not understand, but you have to promise me you won't show anyone or tell anyone about who you are. Promise?" _

_ Korra looked up at her father's pleading face and felt tears well up in her eyes. "I promise, Daddy. I promise I'll keep our secret," she whispered. Tonraq sighed with relief, and Senna put her arms around both of them. "Can we…are we gonna go back home?" Korra asked._

_ Senna couldn't bring herself to lie. "I don't know, baby. But we're together, and that's what's important."_

_ If it meant that her mom would stop looking so sad all the time, Korra intended to keep her promise for as long as she lived._

* * *

Of all the places he and Bolin had worked at, Mako hated this one the most. The textile mill was cramped and dirty, and the pay was barely worth the trouble the job came with. Mako had been assigned to work out any mechanical kinks in the giant machines, which meant sticking his tiny fingers under three-ton steel mechanisms. He had broken one or more of his fingers several times, but not badly enough that he couldn't manage to work the next day. The owner, Mr. Sible, was a nasty man who held no fondness for incompetent children— orphans or not. Bolin was too small to do anything but carry around the water and supplies to everyone else, and he was scared of everyone who wasn't his brother. Every time the boss barked out an order to Bolin, the boy would flinch and barely manage to squeak out a "Yes, sir."

With the temperatures getting colder, the machines were acting up more than usual, which meant that Sible's temper was worse than ever. So, it was also a spectacularly bad time for Bolin to get his foot caught in one of the belts that turned the looms. Mako was working a few aisles away, but he could hear his brother's cries over all the machinery. Mako felt panic rise up, and he ran towards his brother. "Bo!" Bolin's foot was wedged between the belt and the steel, and the pressure was going to completely crush his foot if they couldn't get it out. Mako reached for the small knife he used for cleaning gunk out of the machines and started hacking at the belt. He could hear the boss's enraged shouts, but he couldn't think about anything except his brother's agonized wails.

After what seemed like several minutes of hacking and sawing, the belt finally snapped and the loom shook and sparked as it rattled brokenly. Before Mako could help his brother up, Sible grabbed both of them by their shirts and hauled them through the crowd of workers who had gathered to see the commotion. Mako yelled and thrashed against the man's grip, but Bolin was in too much pain to do anything but cry. Sible kicked open the door to the back alley and tossed both boys without any hesitation or remorse. "Don't you even think about comin' back, ya hear? If I see you two _rats_ around my factory again I'll beat you bloody myself!" With that he slammed the door and left the two boys lying in the ally on their own.

"Good riddance," Mako muttered under his breath. Mako looked up at the gathering clouds and winced as a harsh wind stabbed right through his flimsy coat. He went to his brother's side and tried to assess the damage. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked. Bolin was still crying, and he shook his head. "Bo, you gotta try. Just for a few blocks, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, Mako hoisted his brother up and tried to take most of the weight off of Bolin's bad foot. He was partly dragging, partly supporting Bolin, being careful not to slip on any patches of ice on the sidewalks. Before they made it even halfway to their destination, it became obvious that Bolin couldn't make it any further. Mako managed to steer him into an alleyway before Bolin completely collapsed.

Mako saw that the sun was almost gone, and it made him nervous to out in the streets past dark. "Bo, I need to look at your foot, okay?" Bolin just sobbed again and nodded. Mako used his knife to help peel away the shoe and sock from his brother's already swollen foot. Mako exhaled sharply, and Bolin just wailed louder. "You gotta be quiet, Bo. We don't want anyone to hear us." There was no way Bolin could make it back to their current hideaway, and it was far too risky to make an earth-tent with the patrols skulking around after dark. "C'mon, Bo. You _gotta_ move," he pleaded.

"Is he hurt?" a small voice came from behind them.

Mako whipped around, knife in hand. A small girl was standing at the mouth of the alley, looking at them with wide, curious blue eyes. She looked about his age and had dark skin that marked her easily of watertribe descent. Her dark hair hung loose and ragged under a backwards newsie cap. He saw that her clothes looked just as stained and ragged as his, and Mako could guess she was looking for an easy target. "Beat it," he growled at her.

The girl flinched, but she stepped closer all the same. "Is he your brother?"

This girl was asking too many questions for Mako's liking. "I said scram," he said, trying to be as menacing as possible. The girl just ignored this and kept inching closer. "You could get someone to help you home," she suggested, taking another step closer.

Mako was feeling more and more cornered. "What part of 'get lost' did you not understand?" he demanded, putting his body in-between the girl and Bolin. His hands were closed into fists, and he could feel his face flushing with anger. His defensive reflexes were kicking in. Yet, the girl was still not deterred.

"He looks really hurt. Maybe—"

Mako raised one fist and suddenly there were flames licking at his knuckles. "If you don't leave now, _you're_ the one who's going to be hurt!" he yelled, his face pulled into a snarl and stance aggressive.

At the sight of his flaming hand, the girl stopped dead in her tracks and shrunk against the wall. _Finally_ he seemed to have her scared. But rather than feel relieved, Mako only felt more panic. What was he _thinking—_ firebending this late, of all times, when Amon's patrols were out in the streets. Bolin whimpered behind him. _No_, he thought to himself._ She's too scared to talk. And she wouldn't even know where to find us. She's too scared._

The girl, it would seem, was _not_ too scared. She kept flat against the wall, but crept closer to them still. She said something in a small voice Mako didn't catch. "What did you say?" Mako asked between clenched teeth.

The girl looked around nervously before repeating herself. "I can help him," she said, in a louder voice but still barely audible. Mako just stared at her. Her face went from cautious to irritated, and she snapped, "You gotta death wish? Put that out before someone sees!" Mako jumped at her sudden assertiveness and let the flame in his palm go out. The girl took several steps forward until she was right in front of Mako. He glared at her, but she merely stuck out her chin and gave him a stubborn pout. "I said I can help. You gonna let him just lie there all night?"

They heard a burst of conversation coming from the street and both immediately shrunk back into the shadow of the alley. The small group passed by and never even noticed them. Mako and the girl both exhaled with relief and looked at each other. Mako gave a small nod, and the girl smiled shakily in return. Bolin was still propped up against the wall, whimpering softly and sniffling. His nose and cheeks were bright pink from the cold, and his tiny hands trembled. The girl knelt next to him and examined the foot. She tried to move it, but Bolin howled in pain. Mako smacked her hands away. "Don't do that!" he hissed. She hissed right back, "You've gotta set his foot right first!" Between the two of them, they managed to get Bolin's foot as straight as possible. The girl nodded and said, "That'll have to be good enough," before unbuttoning her oversized coat. Mako saw that under the coat, she had a strap slung around her torso. She shifted it around and he saw that it was some kind of animal-skin pouch. The girl gently pulled the stopper out and looked around with hesitation.

"What are you—" Mako started to ask, but stopped when water started to float out of the pouch with the gentle motion of her hand. Using very small movements, she worked the water into a small flexible ball before lowering it onto Bolin's foot. Bolin flinched when it hit his skin and Mako squeezed his brother's hand reassuringly. They both watched mesmerized as the water began to glow and move faster over Bolin's foot. After a minute, it became normal again, and the girl coaxed it back into her pouch. They all sat in silence for a moment.

The girl shrugged. "I—I can't completely fix it…I'm not that good. But you can probably walk better on it now," she said apologetically. She re-buttoned her coat and glanced around the alley again. "I gotta get home, too. You better get inside quick 'cause it's gonna blizzard tonight." Mako frowned at this; his toes had already gone numb inside his boots.

Mako found his tongue again. "How do you know _that_?" he asked. The girl flushed and snapped back at him indignantly. "Just 'cause I do! You gotta place to go or not?" she demanded.

Mako scowled and said to her, "We'll be fine," but she was looking over his shoulder at Bolin who was shivering and shaking his head sadly. The girl's pout softened and she turned back towards Mako. "You can come back to my house. My Mama can heal better than me. And it really is gonna blizzard," she offered in a hesitant voice, only briefly meeting his eyes. Mako looked desperately back and forth between the girl and his shivering brother.

"Okay," Mako said softly. The girl looked up at him and smiled, and Mako hesitantly smiled back. "I'll help you move your brother. I'm Korra, by the way," she said.

They each put one of Bolin's arms around their shoulders and hauled him to his feet. The half carried him down the street as he tried to hop between them. Mako was a few inches taller than Korra, so the difference made Bolin have to hobble awkwardly. Eventually, they made it to Korra's street, but by then the temperature had dropped noticeably and the wind started picking up. "The one with the green curtains is ours," she told them.

Korra knocked lightly on the door with her free hand, and it swung open to reveal a huge man standing in the doorway. Mako looked up at the man and his first instinct was to take Bolin and get as far away as possible. "Korra, thank goodness! Ah…and you have friends with you?"

A woman pushed in front of the man to take in the scene. "Korra, you know you aren't supposed to be out past—oh dear!" Mako was shaking as the couple appraised the two strange boys with their daughter. Finally, the woman sighed and waved them inside, saying, "Well come in, all of you; this is no weather to be outside in." Mako ducked his head and let Korra lead them into the house and direct him to lay Bolin down on the couch.

The house wasn't huge or glamorous, but the woodstove in the corner made the whole room cozy and inviting. Korra's father announced that he was going to get some extra blankets, and Mako could feel his eyelids drooping with exhaustion already. Korra's mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Korra, are you going to introduce us?"

Korra shifted from foot to foot and said, "Well…" She looked at Mako and shrugged. Mako bowed awkwardly towards her mother and said shakily, "I'm Mako. This is my brother, Bolin. Thank you for inviting us in. We…" his voice faltered. "Well, we wouldn't be in very good shape if it weren't for Korra."

Korra's mother was already looking at Bolin's foot. "I'm afraid this foot still isn't in very good shape." Mako noticed Korra wince and hang her head. "It's been broken in several places. How exactly did this happen?" she asked, looking at Bolin. Bolin just stared back at her wide eyed and Mako could tell he was too overwhelmed to answer.

"We were working in a factory and Bolin's foot got caught in one of the machine's belts. I..I took too long to cut it loose," Mako explained, stumbling over the explanation.

Korra's mother nodded before turning to face her daughter. "Korra…" she began sternly, but was cut off.

"You didn't hear him crying," Korra muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor. Her mother just sighed heavily and turned Korra's face to meet her eyes. "You did a good job, but you can't do this just anywhere in the city. Especially past nightfall."

Korra's shoulder's sagged. "I know."

Her mother rested a hand on her cheek and smiled gently. "Did you have any trouble with the deliveries?"

Mako watched this exchange and felt a pang of jealousy. Seeing Korra's mother with her soft touch and gentle words made Mako ache for his own mother. He gripped his father's scarf and moved to hold his brother's hand. Korra's father returned with a small stack of blankets and her mother asked her to get a basin of water. As Korra filled up the basin, her father made sure to shut all the blinds and turn up all their lights. Mako watched with fascination as Korra's mother gently arranged Bolin's foot and shaped the water around it. Just like when Korra healed him, the water had a strange, crystal-like glow to it. Mako looked at Korra and saw her studying her mother's movements closely. After another minute, Korra's mother let the water flow back into the basin and return to its normal state. "That is all I can do for now," she said. "It will need a healing session every day for a week or so, but the bones are mostly set as of now."

Mako couldn't believe it. "Th-thank you so much. I don't know how to-to repay you, or—" Mako felt himself getting choked up, and Korra's mother put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right, there's no need to repay us. Your brother is lucky to have someone like you looking out for him," she said kindly. Then she turned to Korra with a sterner tone. "What are you still doing in those wet clothes? You're going to make yourself sick! Go get changed so we can all sit down and have dinner like _civilized_ people."

Korra pouted. "I _am_ civilized! And it's not my fault Kumi is a nasty old hag! If I had a yuan for every time I got pushed down in the mud and called some kind of name, we could buy at least ten satomobiles!" she yelled, and stomped out of the room with a huff. Mako couldn't but help but smile at her outburst, but her parents just shook their heads.

Korra's mother turned to the boys, and Mako suddenly felt guilty, like he was trespassing in their house. But the woman had a gentle voice that made Mako recall the word 'home' more than he would care to admit. "I take it then that you two don't have a place to go?" Korra's mother asked softly. Mako felt his throat tighten, and he nodded. "No family?" Her voice was gentle enough to make tears spring to Mako's eyes. He nodded again, avoiding her gaze, but this time Bolin piped up.

"Me and Mako are family, and we got each other. But Mom and Dad died a long time ago," he said shyly. Mako looked back at him and was relieved to see that he had stopped shaking.

The woman gave them a small smile. "It's good that you have each other." She turned her attention back to preparing dinner.

Mako felt a tug on his sleeve. Bolin looked up at him with wide eyes and asked, "Can we stay here?"

Mako looked at the couple preparing dinner in the kitchen before turning to Bolin. "For tonight," he whispered. "But we can't—"

Korra's mother interrupted him. "The storm will most likely keep us snowed in for a day or two. I'm afraid we don't have much, but you're more than welcome to stay and share what we do have."

"Mako, I wanna stay," Bolin said. He looked cheerier than Mako had seen him in a long time. He hated the thought of relying on someone else for their next meal, but for Bolin's sake, he would let his reservations go.

Korra came stomping back in the room wearing dry clothes and sat next to Mako on the floor by the couch. "Did you look out the window yet?" she asked. "I _told_ you it was gonna blizzard." Mako scrunched up his face at her, and she just laughed.

"Dinner's ready," her mother called from the kitchen. Korra helped Mako bring Bolin over to the table as her mother pulled up extra chairs. After they all sat down, Korra's mother began spooning out the noodley dish she made into bowls. It smelled so good that Mako's mouth was watering. It had been so long since he had been able to give him and Bo a proper meal. When Mako was handed his bowl, he thanked them and tried not to shovel it all in his mouth at once. Bolin didn't have quite the same sense of decorum and was slurping up his noodles with no hesitation. They both accepted seconds and for the first time in months, Mako felt completely full.

Korra's parents were surprisingly generous to the boys, and Mako felt his cautious nature being overridden by their kindness.

"How old exactly are you boys?" Korra's father asked.

Mako made an effort so sit up straighter and remember his manners. "I'm nine, and Bolin's seven, er, sir." The man laughed and waved it off. "Tonraq and Senna will be fine, son." Mako nodded nervously, and he might have blushed a little.

"You're only one year older than me," Korra said to Mako. "Did you get fired from the factory for messing up?"

"Korra!" her mother scolded.

Korra huffed indignantly. "I _mean_ if they did, maybe they could work for Miss Xang with me. Working by myself is boring."

"We can discuss that tomorrow. Right now, we should get everyone settled in for bed," Senna said, taking the dishes into the kitchen. They laid out a small mattress on the floor in front of the woodstove and piled it with blankets. "That should be enough. If it gets too cold in the middle of the night, just throw another log in the stove. And if you need anything else, just ask." Mako nodded and thanked her again. Bolin was unconscious as soon as he got under the covers, but Mako stared at the ceiling for a while, listening to the fire in the woodstove crack and pop. He heard the creaking of door hinges and looked up to see Korra walking into the room dragging a pillow and blanket behind her. She yawned as she dropped the pillow next to Mako's side of the mattress and threw herself on the floor. She immediately curled up into a ball, and Mako thought she might have been sleepwalking. "Hey," he whispered.

Her eyes slightly opened, and she let out a muffled "Hmm?"

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, still whispering so as not to wake up Bolin.

She yawned again before answering. "I like sleeping in front of the fire." She closed her eyes again and pulled her blanket up to her chin. Mako waited a minute before he whispered, "Hey," again.

Korra groaned and rolled over. "What?"

Mako hesitated for a second before saying, "I never said thank you for helping us today. So…thank you."

Korra blinked at him and pulled the blanket tighter around her. "You're welcome. I'm sorry about your parents by the way. And I miss my home too, if it makes you feel better."

Mako nodded. They were silent for a moment, and Mako turned to say something to her again, but he saw that she was already asleep. He smiled and tried to get situated on the mattress; he just wasn't used to sleeping on something so soft.


End file.
